What can I say about me?   I can say that horses have been my life, all of my life, with just a few other events thrown in every now and then to distract me.  

I grew up in a family of horse people. My grandfather was a horse trader who owned a farm south of Martinsville. He went to a different sale at least four days a week Because he loved his grand kids almost as much as we loved him, he took us along. On all the big holidays, all our parents went too. Thanksgiving found us eating cold turkey sandwiches in the our cars at the Rushville sale barn. Every Sunday, we went to his farm to ride whatever mounts he had acquired that week. From the beginning, we had cattle drives from farm to farm, a distance of about ten miles, down the old country road. Our parents all rode horses, grandma and papaw hauled us grand kids in a new covered wagon -- which I still have today. The only problem with this setup was: we were not allowed to get attached to these animals as they were always for sale. My heart has been broken so many times and I have cried many tears over this very thing. Finally, when I was four, Papaw gave in and I got a "Keeper", named Misty. Of course this did not thrill my mother as Misty moved to our house. I rode all the time, whenever Dad was home or when I could sneak away from Mom. I got kicked, bit, bucked off, I learned to jump on from the rear -- Roy Rodgers was one of my favorite TV shows.  ALL was going well until one Saturday when Mom and Dad were home, and Misty decided to put her feet on my shoulders, that was the end of unsupervised play for me... I was back to riding whatever came along at the farm. I am sure you understand that I missed that closeness as this is a feeling that only a horse lover can feel.

After about four years of this, along came a little colt that, from the beginning, belonged to me and I belonged to him. Everything in my life was about him. At school, he was all I thought about, wrote about, drew in art class; at home, all I wanted was to be at the farm with him. I drove my parents nuts! Especially when Prince grew up and was a stallion. What parent wants their twelve year-old girl trying to break a three-year old horse that is standing at stud? Not MY Mom!  I cannot tell you how many times I had to sneak in to be with that horse.

But my world was changing and Prince and I just didn't know it.  I will never forget the night, my grandpa came home with two miniature mules and one donkey jack.  Suddenly, we went from beautiful riding horses to being muleskinners. Within a two year period, Prince was gelded (made Mom happy) and moved to my house, that crop of foals were sold, and we begin to have baby mules everywhere.  Apparently, it had been my grandfather's childhood dream to have the best matched mules in Kentucky. For the next twelve years we pursued that dream.  We showed mules in every mule show in the tri-state area; he bought or made eight show wagons, At the time of his death in 1986, had over 50 sets of matching harness, six matched mule teams and countless ribbons and trophies.  Along the way he had gone back into the horse business and had seventeen horses along with the aforementioned twelve mules. On the evening of Aug. 2,1986, guess who he completely turned that herd over to'?  You probably guessed: me! My uncles had already jumped ship because they despised mules from the beginning. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with his twenty-nine head and my own four horses at home. By the time I fed at home, cleaned my stalls, went to his house, fed, cleaned stalls, watered horses by bucket, and got home, it was time to start over. I begin to get a whole new perspective on how hard his life had been at seventy-eight since I was only twenty-five and worn out.   I began to see, I must sell his beloved animals, a task which would take thirteen months and many tears to accomplish.

You are probably thinking; surely all the drama is over. No, the stage only changed.  Forward to my house and a terrific storm. As was my habit every evening, I fed my animals in the barn and left on a date, paying no attention to the weather.  Morning came, with all the smells and beauty only a spring sunrise after a rain storm can bring. It was time to feed. What a horrendous sight met my eyes!  My beloved, Prince had been struck by lightning and was on the ground with his entire intestinal track laying behind him. Misty was standing close by, with her hindquarters stiff -- a condition from which she never completely recovered. I started to scream. I never felt so much pain in all my life. I'd lost two of the most important things in my life, my grandfather and the horse of all my dreams. My world totally changed right then and there, I quit the equine business totally, started to travel and party a lot. 

My Mother had never wanted me to work off of the farm. Now I had no purpose or direction. I made new friends and drown my sorrows for three miserable years. To help me find a purpose in life, I decided to volunteer at Methodist Hospital in the hospice unit. I thought maybe I could find peace of mind there. I knew how they had helped my family when my grandpa had passed. Before I could move on that plan, however, a friend of mine whose mother worked at Hendricks Community Hospital suggested I volunteer in Transportation. In this volunteer role, everyone I met there would not be in the end stage of life, a situation which, she felt, might depress me even further. I had already been hospitalized twice for depression and hypoglycemia. My weight had fallen to less than one hundred pounds. I agreed to try. After the first month, I was ready to do more than one day a week. I was approached by the radiology supervisor who offered me a full-time paid position. I took it and I have loved it every day since. I meet new people, have a purpose, love my coworkers. It Is just like a second family.  People often ask why I do not go further in to the health profession. I feel this is where God wants me. He gave me this "balm in Gilead" and until He tells me to move on, I'm going to stay right here.

On a final happy note, I have recovered enough to have five horses and sixteen cows so my life is becoming exciting once again.